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Neuroscience for the Mental Health Clinician

Yesne Alici-Evcimen, M.D.

Studies on the role of the brain in mental disorders have been growing so fast that every mental health clinician should have some idea about neurobiology. This elegant book provides basic grounding in neuroscience that all clinicians working with mentally ill patients need to be familiar with.

Steven R. Pliszka, a leading clinician and an educator, presents a refreshing review of neuroscience for clinicians of any background or level of experience.

There are hundreds of books on the brain, and many neuroscience textbooks can be quite overwhelming in size and complexity, so Dr. Pliszka asks "Why should a mental health clinician read this one?" Many useful diagrams depicted in almost all chapters of the book, pencil-and-paper exercises guiding the reader through drawings of the brain, and the jargon-free style of the author make this book easily readable. Each chapter is replete with a wealth of references at the end.

The book is divided into two major parts; the first part reviews the basic principles of neuroscience, including neuroanatomy and neurochemistry; the second section applies this knowledge to specific mental disorders—namely, schizophrenia, pervasive developmental disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, antisocial behavior, aggression, cognitive disorders, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A brief overview of the history of the mental disorders is given in the introduction, which helps the reader appreciate how much the field has advanced since Pinel released the patients of Bicêtre from their chains.

In the first chapters, the reader is encouraged to draw the brain structures step-by-step to grasp the major structures involved in cognitive, motor, and emotional behaviors and to link the function with the anatomy of each structure. The author also examines the mechanisms by which neurotransmitters convey their messages to neurons and how second messenger systems translate these messages inside the neuron.

Chapters 5, 6, and 7 take up specific behaviors such as motor behavior—the role of different structures in motor behavior, memory—from the cellular, molecular level to neuroimaging of memory, and, finally, the chapters give a tour of higher cortical functions, including language, visuospatial skills, attention, and executive functions.

Chapters 8 through 13 comprise the second section of the book, where the author helps the reader understand how neurobiological factors contribute to the etiology of mental illness and how psychological and pharmacological treatments act within the brain. For each disorder described, Dr. Pliszka explores the genetic underpinnings, results of neuroimaging and neurochemical studies, the impact of psychosocial factors, and mechanisms by which treatments operate. Dr. Pliszka not only presents recent genetic, imaging, and psychosocial research in each area, but also discusses the significance of these studies, forcing the reader to brainstorm on the typical material they are exposed to.

The final chapter, the epilogue, discusses the ethical and cultural issues that might arise as a result of the advancement of the mental health field through our improved knowledge of mental disorders.

Overall, this book gives the reader an excellent understanding of this difficult subject. It targets all mental health practitioners as its audience, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, neurologists, developmental pediatricians, residents, and interns in all these professions.

FOOTNOTES

 
Dr. Alici-Evcimen is a Fellow in Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Articles by Alici-Evcimen, Y. Articles by Alici-Evcimen, Y. Other Neuroscience Diagnostic Criteria

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